US reiterates importance of fair polls as Bangladesh calls for withdrawal of sanctions on RAB

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland hold talks in Washington, DC

The United States has reiterated that it wants to see free and fair elections in Bangladesh while Dhaka has called for the withdrawal of human rights sanctions on the Rapid Actions Battalion.

Both sides reiterated their commitment to a growing partnership across a range of political, economic, environmental, and security issues at the Ninth US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue, the US State Department said.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland co-chaired the meeting in Washington, DC on Wednesday

Nuland thanked Bangladesh for hosting Rohingya refugees and highlighted the strong people-to-people ties between our countries, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

“She reiterated the importance of free and fair elections, and our commitment to promoting human rights, labor rights, and freedom of expression in Bangladesh,” Miller said.

Nuland also underscored the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries and lauded Bangladesh’s “tremendous economic growth and its positive trajectory for an even brighter economic future”.

The foreign ministry said Secretary Momen briefed Nuland about measures taken by the Election Commission to pave the way for free and fair elections at both local and national levels.

It said the US side appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment on free and fair elections as well as openness to engage international election monitors.

Momen shared some of the positive developments on Bangladesh’s recent human rights performance.

He reiterated the call for lifting the sanctions on RAB and extraditing Rashed Chowdhury, the self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.